REVIEW: Earthshock

They do it with mirrors

Many's the time that I've watched a Doctor Who serial and lamented the fact that its very title robs the story of any suspense it might otherwise have had. Imagine how much better Romana's cliffhanger at the end of the first episode of Destiny of the Daleks would have been without 'Daleks' in the title (well, that and the incessant 'Do Not Move!' orders). Even the rightly celebrated Dalek of the Ecclestone era would have been a considerably better episode if, like the Doctor, we'd had no idea what was lurking in Van Statten's bunker. How refreshing it must have been, then, to watch Earthshock when it first aired in 1982. Not until the very last seconds of the first episode was there any indication that the metal meanies from Mondas were involved; and that grand reveal is so much more exciting for being unexpected.

Is that Tom Baker's old TARDIS console
with a few angle lamps glued on?

And what a great look those Cybermen now have! While the Telosian Cybermen of Tomb fame were good for their day, by the time of Revenge of the Cybermen, they were beginning to look a bit stale. Fast forward to 1982, and the upgrades have worked out splendidly. From the metallic, crumpled body suits to the sleek helmets and perspex mouth guards, these Cybermen really do look like people trapped inside a cybernetic shell. What is more, their voices sound deep and booming - gone is the campness of The Tenth Planet and the reverberating bumblebee of Tomb, replaced instead by a heavy, clear baritone infused with a metallic echo chamber.

Personally I'd love to see the Cyber Leader enjoying
a sunset and a perfectly prepared meal, myself

To cap it all, David Banks graces our screens for the first time, lending an air of authority and villainy to the Cyber Leader's role. What is more, his Cyber Leader genuinely has a personality. Whether he's clenching his fist and booming "Eggcellent" or taunting the Doctor for his "irrelevant" morality, Banks provides a Cyber Leader who, for the first time, rivals the Timelord for best onscreen presence. Some have criticised this approach, claiming that Cybermen have no emotions and thus should have no personality. But I can't help thinking that the technological prowess of the Cybermen, coupled with a lack of emotion, would naturally bring about an apparent sense of smug superiority. Many's the time that my own computer has infuriatingly told me that "this machine was not shut down properly" in spite of the fact that the reason it wasn't is because it bloody well crashed last time I used it. I reckon Cybermen are no different in that regard. The only time the Cyber Leader lets his guard down is on the subject of Voga, "the planet of goooooold!" I have to admit, he does sound a bit like an arachnophobe trying to say 'tarantula'.

Alas, poor Adric, I liked him not well

Earthshock is memorable for many reasons, and the shock of the Cybermen at the end of the first episode is perhaps not the only reason why it is named as such. This is the serial that saw the death of Adric, a companion picked up by the Fourth Doctor on his travels in E-Space. For me, I can remember the first time I watched Earthshock as a child not being particularly moved by the fact that Adric copped it at the end. I suspect this is because I'd had enough of him by this point and was glad he was leaving the show - even if it was in a burning fireball. However, with the dispassionate eyes of an adult watching this serial in isolation, he's not such a bad companion. The irony, perhaps, is that this is the first story in which he's shown himself to be both capable and likeable.

Wait, is this Caves of Androzani?

Let's hop back to that first episode. It starts out well, providing a classic Who mystery with some archaeologists who've gone missing. Indeed, the archaeology angle, coupled with Cybermen bursting out of cling film later on, naturally brings back memories of Tomb. The first episode plods along even more slowly than an advancing Cyber army, however, and one gets the feeling that Eric Saward may have had to pad it out a little so as to postpone the Grand Reveal of the Cybermen until the very end. The action is poorly paced and the historic reference to the dinosaurs being wiped out is an overly laboured point. The androids make for interesting villains, but it's just as well they weren't the only thing posing a threat across the four episodes. You need a character in crazy make-up to pull that off.

Who says space captains can't be glam?

Which brings us to Beryl Reid, aka Captain Briggs, perhaps the most curious casting choice of Earthshock. When she first rocks up, hair immaculately permed and tinted, moaning about having been kept waiting for seven hours, you can't help thinking your Gran has somehow entered the Whoniverse. For a world-weary space marine, our Beryl is not quite what you'd expect. And yet, I can't help liking her performance. Somehow, it just seems to work, even though it really shouldn't.

No Cyber love for Pertwee

This is the first time the Cybermen have appeared since Revenge, and the story does a nice little potted history of Cyber-encounters with previous incarnations of the Doctor. It's truly wonderful to see any of Hartnell in relation to Cybermen, as we all know they were his ultimate nemesis. Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker can't fail to raise a smile, especially Doctor Four's cheeky line about tin soldiers skulking around the galaxy in an ancient spaceship.

Well, at least she got to keep all her clothes on

Spare a thought for poor Nyssa in this story. It was clear by this stage that a trio of companions just didn't work. There just isn't enough for that many people to do, and in Earthshock it's Nyssa's turn to sit it out in the TARDIS doing didlysquat. Indeed, such is the scriptwriters' insistence that she not leave the TARDIS, they're left giving her sinister lines to prevent even so much as a radio call to the Doctor. "NO!" she cries, when Kyle attempts as much, "I'm sure everything is all right." Admittedly she always was a clever thing, so maybe this was her way of ensuring at least one of Adric or Tegan bit the dust to ensure she got in on the action next time around.

Not just a mouth on legs

Speaking of action, Earthshock is one of the most violent of all the Davison outings. If we include Cybermen and android deaths, the total body count for the story is a staggering thirty seven! Not only that, but pretty much every character gets a go at killing Cybermen - except Adric who has to make do with androids (and millions of dinosaurs). And yes, when I say every character, I don't just mean Tegan. We'd expect it from Tegan. But what about innocent, clever Nyssa?

Not entirely sure how the Doctor managed to avoid that

Well, OK, she's just a companion. At least we know the Doctor would never stoop to such violence... right?

Even the Cyber Leader can't quite believe it

Apparently John Nathan-Turner faced a backlash from fans after this story. Not that they were upset about Adric, no. They just didn't think guns should be fired in the TARDIS. Good old JNT said the State Of Grace circuits had been damaged by the Cybermen, thereby allowing gunfire in the console room. Cunning.

Never pull the Doctor's finger.

There are some great effects in Earthshock, particularly for its day. The Cyberman getting stuck in the doorway is a work of art, totally unexpected and cleverly executed. The incidental music is also great, with some superb plodding electronica as the Cybermen burst out of their containers and march to the spaceship bridge. Alas, the music does let itself down a bit with a comedy synth flute at the very end just before the episode cuts to the silent credits as a mark of respect to Adric. I think for the silent credits to have worked properly, it would have needed a silent close-up on the Doctor's face preceding it.

Never quite understood why, if it was made of gold,
Adric's badge was caked over with blue ceramic

In terms of bad things to say about Earthshock, there aren't many. I can forgive the tortoise-like pace of the first episode because of what it delivers in shock value in the closing seconds. There is a question mark bigger than Sylvester McCoy's umbrella hanging over exactly why the Cyber Leader insists that Adric stays on the spaceship yet demands that the Doctor and Tegan return to the TARDIS - particularly as Adric is the only person with any remote chance of undoing the Cyber plans (which, in fairness, he very nearly does). Then there's this comedy moment in which two scenes have clearly been shot on separate days and the exact cast of extras has been forgotten. Compare these shots of the soldiers entering the TARDIS...

...with these shots of them having successfully entered:

Notice how the woman in the blue circle is caught by a Cyberman in the preceding scene, yet is present in the next scene inside the TARDIS - yet the chap circled in red has mysteriously disappeared! Not to worry, eh? Oh, and spare a thought for the poor old Cyberman who gets ordered by the Cyber Leader, having boarded the TARDIS, to "search this ship!" Maybe he's still wandering the corridors, even now?

Looks like the temporal shift had an effect on the spaceship's hardware,
if those ancient mainframes are anything to go by

All in all, Earthshock is a solid story with some great scenes and a very triumphant return for the Cybermen. We say goodbye to Adric and hello to ultra-violence. What's not to like?